


A Simple Waltz

by pinkcoat



Series: A Million Routines [2]
Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates, Fire Emblem: Kakusei | Fire Emblem: Awakening
Genre: Ballroom Dancing, Dancing, F/M, Fluff, Slow Dancing, dance lessons
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-02
Updated: 2020-09-02
Packaged: 2021-03-06 22:53:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 880
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26246710
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pinkcoat/pseuds/pinkcoat
Summary: The incorrigible flirt's managed to rope Corrin into a dance under the stars.
Relationships: Azur | Inigo/My Unit | Kamui | Corrin, Lazward | Laslow/My Unit | Kamui | Corrin
Series: A Million Routines [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1904272
Kudos: 11





	A Simple Waltz

**Author's Note:**

> i tried rewriting this the best i could, but i can't shake the feeling that it's still bad. i think that corrin's feelings about inigo in particular feel a bit rushed/forced, so sorry if it comes off that way.

It was fairly late when Corrin decided to leave. Luckily, she was quick and quiet enough not to raise anyone's suspicion as she slipped out the door and into the night—she wasn't in the mood to try and convince someone that Laslow had talked her into "late-night dance practice."

Aside from a set time, not much thought was put into exactly where they were going to practice, leading her to walk blindly for a while until she stumbled upon the spot. No matter how aggravating this search became, it was at least comforting to know that Laslow wasn't the type for fashionable lateness. Despite the time, she was still very much afraid of finding any other soldiers out, so she was careful to slink around every corner, utilizing every shadow she found herself in (at the very least, this made for some good stealth practice).

It took much longer than it really should have, but she eventually found him seated on a box before a small dirt field, with his back to her. A lantern, casting unsteady shadows around him, sat at his feet. She whispered his name, making him jump.

"Lady Corrin!" he whispered back, surprised. _You actually came,_ almost slipped out, but he pushed the words down.

She was lingering at the edge of the field, shuffling a foot over the spot where grass tapered off into dirt. "So..."

"So, indeed," he chuckled—too caught up in the surprise of her actually showing. Still seated, the two suddenly fell into silence, unsure of where to begin. It was only when Corrin quirked an eyebrow at him that he remembered the situation. "Y-yes! The dancing!" he announced a bit louder than intended. He wanted to explain away the nerves as he normally would— _Apologies for staring; your heavenly visage distracted me, you see!_ —but couldn't get it out. Instead, he sprang to his feet and approached her as he thought to ask, "So, are you familiar with any styles?"

Her tone was distant, face was set in a blank stare as she thought it over. "Yeah, but only a little bit when I was younger—ballroom dances, stuff like that..."

His ears pricked. "Do you happen to remember any waltzes?"

Her eyes glittered with recognition—seemed as good a place as any to start.

* * *

It took only a handful of steps to see that she knew more than she'd let on. Due to her reluctance, he was unsure of just how much she knew, so to see such effort and skill (if a bit unpolished) was a pleasant surprise. And even in moments when an arm would be too limp, or a step too early, she still held herself up with enough confidence to merely mask it—he found himself barely catching the more minor errors at times. Granted, her stunning self-assurance was likely what distracted him from noticing every time she "accidentally" stepped on his foot, too.

In any case, he was much too nice to point out most of these mistakes—much to her chagrin. Considering it was the very reason they were out here—Or so he _claims_ ,she thought, irritably—she'd expected more instruction. He was quick to notice her furrowed eyebrows, leading him to instinctively tighten his grip on her back, then quickly correcting it with a quiet, "Apologies..." His words and movements were slow and much too gentle, as if afraid that anything more would shatter the moment to pieces.

"Don't worry about it," she said, smiling despite herself. That seemed to calm him down immensely, but he still held back on delivering her desired criticism—instead, now their steps and twirls were punctuated by the increasingly frequent utterances of "very nice," or "Lovely footwork." It annoyed her, but it felt nowhere near as disingenuous as it likely was.

Before long, their steps began to slow, before finally stopping altogether. "Thank you so much for finding the time to do this with me," he said as he let go of her hand; had he scrounged up the courage, he would have punctuated his thanks with a kiss on her hand like he'd planned.

"It was pretty enjoyable," she conceded, a bit surprised at her own honesty. "I'm happy you convinced me."

Whether it was because of the light of the lantern or real embarrassment, when she looked up she found his face bathed in red. He rushed to make distance between them—Must be the latter, then—as he tried to push the conversation forward: "W-well, then... How would you like to do this again, sometime?"

She paused then—for whatever reason, she hadn't even considered doing this again, let alone him asking to it. That said, it wasn't nearly as bad as she'd anticipated (especially, considering he barely spoke until the random surge of compliments near the end). "Sure, I'd like that." She looked up again, finding his face to be even redder than before; she couldn't help but giggle at the sight.

Knowing what she must be laughing at, he quickly covered his mouth and cheeks with a hand as he rushed back to his barracks. "Goodnight, Corrin!" he tried to say as quietly as possible in the growing distance. He was already out of earshot before she could respond.

**Author's Note:**

> originally written 12.24.17, rewritten 12.20.20


End file.
